11 Meaningful Holiday Gifts for Girlfriends That Don’t Require Any Money, Just Lots Of Love

If all else fails, just go with #11.

If you have a special lady friend this holiday, you're probably thinking about what gift to get her. But, the holiday season can be a bit stressful if you're stumped on what present your girlfriend actually wants. For many of us, the memorable presents from a significant other aren't the ones that cost an arm and a leg. Instead, they are the ones with meaning and thought behind them. They are the presents that are specific to the person, and stay with us because they show our partner truly understands us.

On the list below, you'll find some ideas on how to really wow your love this holiday. No worries if you aren't into the diy gifts (though there are quite a few included), you can still create a thoughtful and personalized gift for your girlfriend by just using your mind and your heart. Grab a notepad, scroll down, and get to brainstorming!

1. Love Coupons

This tried and true gift works every time. All you have to do is create a personalized book of love coupons that your bae can use throughout the year (or as long as you'd like). You can use free online templates, create them by hand, or just type out a voucher using your own design. Love coupons can include things like: "Date night at your favorite restaurant," "A night of choosing what to watch on Netflix," or "Breakfast in bed."

2. Couple's Journal

If you and your girlfriend are a sentimental couple, give her a gift you can both enjoy. A couple's journal is basically a journal for two people; it's a way for both of you to share your inner thoughts about each other in an intimate way. There are many ways to do this joint-journal. You can make it a Q&A book where one of you writes a list of questions and then the other writes their responses; you can each write entires detailing your own perspective on a certain romantic event, couple's milestone, or just a fun day spent together; you can scrapbook it with photos, keeping a timeline in pictures of how your relationship progresses. A couple's journal is just a fun, creative project to store memories and thoughts about one another.

3. Personalized Playlist

This may be old-school but there's nothing more touching than a personalized playlist expressing your feelings about your love. These days, there are many ways to create a playlist. You can use a streaming service, YouTube, or even go super old-school and make a cassette mixtape.

4. Love Letters

Love letters for now and later are super romantic and requires a lot of thought. You can give your girlfriend a love letter for her to read at the time of gifting, and then have others mailed or hand-delivered to her address in the future. This gift can even be done a year in advance. Write her a love letter a day and save them until a special gifting occasion. Think The Notebook and get your Noah on.

5. Scrapbook

Memories are priceless and so is this gift. Thankfully we live in a digital age, so you don't even need to buy a physical scrapbook for this. Create a collage of some of your favorite moments of your girlfriend. She will be wowed by the quality and thoughtfulness put into the gift.

6. DIY Audiobook

If your girlfriend is a bookworm, she'll fall in love with this gift. A personalized audiobook featuring your voice is an awesome and unique way to show her that you really care about her passions. You can read her favorite book, or even more romantic, read a book of poems.

7. DIY Body Scrub

If you are a DIY kind of person, you may enjoy making this gift as much as you'll enjoy giving it to your girlfriend. Beauty scrubs are always wonderful because who doesn't love to pamper their skin? Plus you can use them for anything skin-related — feet, hands, body, face, or lips. Full disclaimer, this may or may not cost you money, but even if it does cost, it's super budget-friendly. You probably already have ingredients in your pantry. Most body scrubs just include salt or sugar, a fruit oil (coconut or olive works great), a drop of essential oil, and a natural butter. (I'm talking shea butter, not the stuff you put on toast.)

8. A Day of Chores

You'd be surprised at how excited your girlfriend may react to this gift. Give your girl a day of relaxation while you take care of her errands and chores. This is a great gift for girlfriends who prefer a more useful or practical treat.

9. At-Home Spa

Turn your girlfriend's home into an oasis of TLC. Dim the lights, play some music, light some scented candles and give her a spa treatment she will never forget. A good spa day includes a warm bath-bomb soak, a deep massage, and a manicure — you know, the works!

10. Dinner Dance

If you're unable to splurge at the finest restaurant in town, invite your love over for a romantic and intimate evening of dinner and dancing. Prepare a meal using fresh and yummy ingredients you have in your kitchen, set a beautiful table, and play some slow jams for some after-meal dancing.

11. Free Event

If you live in a big city, you can find a long list of free events going on. Find something cool and exciting and treat your girlfriend to a night out. Good free events to attend are plays, comedy shows, live performances, or cultural tours. You can end the night with some tea or wine at your place.